Michael Griffin II (born June 23, 1998) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

for the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play thei ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

at Southwest Minnesota State and

South Dakota State South Dakota State University (SDSU or SD State) is a public land-grant research university in Brookings, South Dakota, United States. Founded in 1881, it is the state's largest university and is the second oldest continually operating universit ...

. He has also been a member of the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) and the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...

of the CFL.

Early life

Griffin played

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

at Park High School in

Cottage Grove, Minnesota Cottage Grove is a city south of Saint Paul, Minnesota, Saint Paul in Washington County, Minnesota, Washington County in the U.S. state, state of Minnesota. It lies on the north bank of the Mississippi River, north of the confluence with the ...

. He was a team captain in football, basketball, and

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

in high school.

College career

Griffin played

at Southwest Minnesota State from 2016 to 2017. He played in nine games, starting one, in 2016, recording 12 tackles and one interception. He started 11 games in 2017, totaling 85 tackles, seven pass breakups and three fumble recoveries. Griffin transferred to play at

from 2018 to 2021. He was

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

in 2018. He played in 12 games, starting 11, in 2019, accumulating 40 tackles, four interceptions and two fumble recoveries, earning

Missouri Valley Football Conference The Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC), formerly the Gateway Football Conference, is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates in the National Collegiate A ...

All-Newcomer Team honors. Griffin recorded 47 tackles and two interceptions in 2020. He started 15 games in 2021, totaling 72 tackles, two forced fumbles and one interception.

Professional career

Griffin signed with the

of the

(NFL) on May 13, 2022, after going undrafted in the

2022 NFL draft The 2022 NFL draft was the 87th edition of the National Football League's annual NFL draft, draft and was held from April 28–30, 2022, at the Caesars Forum on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, Paradise next to Las Vegas. The first round ...

. He was

waived/injured The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football; for a list of terms unique to that code, see '' Glossary of Canadian football''. 0–9 ...

on August 9, and reverted to

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

on August 10. He was waived from injured reserve on August 15, 2022. Griffin was signed by the

of the

(CFL) on March 8, 2023. He was placed on injured reserve on September 8, moved to the

practice roster In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

on October 10, and promoted to the active roster on October 26, 2023. Overall, he dressed in 13 games, starting five, in 2023, recording 30 tackles on defense, six

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

tackles, and one sack. He was released during training camp of the following season on May 15, 2024. On May 18, 2024, it was announced that Griffin had signed with the

of the CFL.

References

External links

Winnipeg Blue Bombers profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Griffin, Michael Living people 1998 births Tennessee Titans players Calgary Stampeders players Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs football players South Dakota State Jackrabbits football players American football defensive backs Canadian football defensive backs Players of Canadian football from Minneapolis Players of American football from Minneapolis Winnipeg Blue Bombers players